Oklahoma Tornado 2013

The tiny town of Tushka, Oklahoma, sits a couple hours drive southeast of Moore. And like Moore, Tushka is vulnerable to tornadoes. A twister rated EF-3 struck Tushka in 2011, leveling much of the town.

Officials in the Oklahoma City suburb ravaged by deadly tornadoes Monday complained earlier this year about FEMA's foot-dragging over $2 million in federal grants for "safe rooms" in 800 homes that would protect people from severe weather.

The story first appeared on the Guardian website and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Global climate change and politics are linked to each other-for better or worse. No clearer was that the case than when Democratic Sen.

Even as President Obama was declaring that tornado-devastated Oklahoma would get "everything it needs right away," the state's most vociferous critic of federal emergency aid vowed that he, too, would push for assistance "without delay." Yet Republican Sen. Tom Coburn's position on federal aid came under close scrutiny in the hours after the tragedy.

The horror confronting residents and emergency workers probing the tornado wreckage in Oklahoma is unimaginable for those of us elsewhere. Collapsed schools, disintegrated homes, crushed cars and more. The main focus should be on aid.

Ordinarily, with a story like this, I'd just shake my head in disgust and move on, but given recent events, I'm inclined to give it a little more attention. Conspiracy theorist radio host Alex Jones explained to his audience today how the government could have been behind the devastating May 20 tornado in Oklahoma.

When the main US federal emergency agency arrives at the scene of a disaster-hit area, one of the first places it turns to is the local Waffle House - and not just for its officials to grab a quick bite.

Rescue workers are near the end of the search for survivors in the Oklahoma City suburb where a rare and powerful tornado claimed 24 lives, injured at least 230 and left dozens missing. Police said thunderstorms and lightning slowed the rescue effort on Tuesday, but 101 people had been pulled from the debris alive.

The tragic tornado in Oklahoma this week has economic considerations -- at least judging by questions from readers. The central issues seem to be whether some government policies, such as buildings codes, might reduce loss of life and property damages and or whether others, like disaster relief, might actually increase them.

Moore, Oklahoma, is not unfamiliar with tornadoes: it gets hit by one about once every five years. But the one that touched down there on Monday seemed especially cruel. The storm laid waste to nearly everything in its seventeen-mile path, destroying thirteen thousand homes, causing approximately two billion dollars in property damage, injuring two hundred and thirty-seven people and killing twenty-four, including nine children, so far.

MOORE, Okla. - A half-hour - maybe. Early Monday afternoon at the Shear Perfection hair salon, a stylist named Lisa Lentz decided to outrace it. Her one o'clock, a cut-and-color, was done, but two other clients had just canceled, and the ominous tone of Gary England, the meteorological oracle on News 9, commanded attention.

As residents of Moore work toward recovery after Monday's deadly tornado, supplies are pouring in from across the country. Volunteers and relief organizations are sifting through everything from diapers to food and teddy bears. But the groups say what's really needed is the flexibility of money.

In covering the devastating tornadoes in Oklahoma, we've been asking a lot of questions about safety and preparedness. On Saturday, a meteorologist told NPR's Wade Goodwyn that "there is no universal, one-size-fits-all guidance or safety rules for tornadoes." Some of the online commenters on that story had advice of their own, such as: "Don't live in Oklahoma."